The Purifiers

Chapter 2: Dreams Fall (Scene 1)

Under the radiance of the nigh full moon and cascade of stars, E'Sarinn wields a battle axe in one hand and a spiked club in the other. The two weapons wield very different, but he uses them in perfect unison, utilizing their strengths and defending against their weaknesses. His weapons whip around in a fury of activity, but nary an opponent in sight. He fights an invisible foe at the edge of a field of white flower buds that dance in the gentle breeze of the night air.

Circling him is an arsenal of weapons, his personal arsenal of weapons to be precise, including his twin swords. Each has a story, a strength, and a weakness. He's memorized each and every one of them, their weight and feel, right down to the dagger in his boot, as if they're all a part of him, an extension of his body. He plunges the spiked club down hard into the ground, as if plunking deep into a foe's skull. Bits of dirt flick up into the air, though E'Sarinn gracefully avoids them all as he grabs a scythe with his now free hand.

A scythe is a two-handed weapon, but he adjusts to the situation by wrapping his arm around the pole to counter the balance. Not a perfect solution and removes the range advantage of a pole arm, but the intent here is for versatility, adjusting to any situation as needed. For a while he continues this awkward match up, yet does so with the elegance of a ballerina.

Finally he slings the scythe outward, uncoiling his arm as it thrusts. For a moment the pole arm has no master and only touches air. At the same moment he throws the battle axe in the other direction. E'Sarinn reaches out his hand and grips the tail end of the pole, stopping it only after it reached its full length of attack, focusing all his attention now on the single weapon. Behind him the axe hits its mark, digging into the ground and rejoining its place within the circle.

With still only one hand on the butt of the scythe, he spins his arm in a circular motion over his head as his body slinks down into a crouch position. The blade whizzing around him as it forms a circle of death. As the weapon comes full circle he takes control of it for the first time with both hands. Now his true expertise of the scythe can show itself.

Caw. Caw. A crow flies off from the nearby tree. Its sleek black feathers letting it soon become one with the night. E'Sarinn stops and places his scythe into the ground, returning it to the circle from whence it came. He walks over to the tree and sits under its swaying branches. His skin glistens from the exertion. How long has he been out here training? At least a few hours.  With a sip of nourishment from his water skin he rests his head against the hard and lumpy tree trunk.

An angelic voice sounds from the field before him, "You remembered."

He smiles as he sees the Elven woman dancing through the field of pale flower buds. She's wearing a dress as white as milk and her facial features stunningly beautiful, at least by the standards of most races. To Elves her appearance isn't very special. When every member of a race is beautiful, physical attractiveness loses importance. That is why Elves tend to focus on other features, such as personality. That is perhaps why Elves, more so than any other race in the world, have been known to date members outside their race. "How could I ever forget?" he asks.

As she dances through the flowers the tips of her fingers brush gently over the buds. She stops and crouches down, embracing one in her palm, cradling it and taking a cheerful whiff. The joy from her face slips away and is replaced with melancholy. Rising back up she says, "It does not have a smell." Her eyes survey the rest of the landscape as she adds, "Nothing here does."

E'Sarinn closes his eyes and lowers his head. "I know. I am sorry."

With a giggle she says, "Do not be sorry. You came, and that is the important thing."

He opens his eyes again to looks at her. Her expression is so carefree and uplifting. His on the other hand is always so serious. "I will always return for you."

Stepping out of the field of flowers she approaches him, blades of grass slide between the toes of her bare feet.  "I see you brought your weapons. Have you been training all night?"

He answers, "Since we returned, yeah."

"Well you made it back, I take it that means you defeated the Soul Eater. So why so serious? You know it is okay to relax every now and again, do you not?"

"We managed to defeat him, yes, but we almost lost." The way his voice raised when he answered and the tension in his body, she can tell how frustrated he is. "The mission before this we lost two members, and almost lost a third. This time ... I am just thankful we did not lose anyone else."

Taking a seat beside him she says, "I thought you told me you had a strong team?"

"The members are strong," he replies. "This is true, but they fight as individuals. Unless we can start acting as a team, then things will only get worse and I fear we will not survive an encounter with the more formidable forces."

She asks, "Is that why you started training for war again?"

"We are at war. Whether Dwarves or magic, we are still fighting."

She pulls her legs up close to her body and rests her chin upon them, but doesn't say anything as she thinks the situation over. There is silence. Not the sounds of the breeze blowing through the leaves or the sound of crickets in the distance, nothing at all. "Then maybe it is time you talk to Lord Wilhelm about it," she advises. "You do have a meeting with him today, do you not?"

"I do," he says as he considers her words. "He did put the team together. Maybe he can put it on the right track." He smiles as he continues, "You always did have the best advice."

"Everything will be better, you will see." She goes to give him a comforting hug, but her hands pass right through him. The eyes of E'Sarinn go wide. His mouth hangs open, but he can't speak.. She looks around as the light starts to dim and everything grows ever darker. With a smile she says, "Wow, looks like our time is up already."

He calls out, "Not yet. You just got here!" He reaches out his hand to take hold of her, as if to help keep her here, but his stretched out stops and clenches into a fist as he realizes the futility of it all. The all consuming darkness approaches faster. "I will return for you."

"I know you will," she says without a concern in the world. Total blackness engulfs the area. Somewhere far off in the distance he can still hear her faint voice say, "And I will always be here for you when you need me."

E'Sarinn groans as he rubs his eyes. Everything is fuzzy for a moment as his eyes adjust to the brilliance of morning. He sits up in bed as he reorientates himself to this world. From the window sill he can hear a pair of doves cooing. He looks over just in time to see the two all white doves fly off towards the morning light.

Walking over to the window he looks out across the city. From the sanctity of his room he looks out over the rooftops. Fragrances from below captivate his senses. Morning fires burn as the city prepares for breakfast. This is the city of Eyescend. Once upon a time the Elven and Dwarven Empires held the dreams of their people, and all the other people of the world. Then the Elves and Dwarves started their Great War and everything fell apart. The two races launched a war of genocide against one another, and their insanity dragged the rest of the world into the madness whether they wanted to or not.

By the time any sanity returned to either race, the cities of both lied in ruins, their homes as shattered as the people themselves and all the innocents that had been caught in between. The races were lost and didn't know what to do next. That is when the Titans opened up their city as a refuge to all the victims of the war, including Elf and Dwarf. They then renamed the city: Eyescend. It means 'Dreams Fall,' for the Elves and Dwarves showed the world that all dreams fall. Now the Titans want to show everyone that it's what we do after that matters most.

E'Sarinn isn't so sure. The sins of Elf and Dwarf may be too great to ever make amends to the world. Still, he has to try, if for no other reason than to help banish the evils that they unleashed. That is why he's joined the Purifiers, a group that travels the lands to purge dark magic from the world and cleanse it of darkness. That is his purpose now.

He gets dressed and looks at his weapons. Since he's in the safety of Eyescend, he decides it's best to travel light. First he grabs his twin swords, his favorites, which he wears on his left hip. Then he places a dagger in his right boot and tucks away a throwing axe behind his back. Finally he takes his scythe. During his trance he didn't get to finish his training with it, so taking it with him only seems fair. Properly dressed now, even though he feels practically naked with so few weapons on him, he heads to the meeting with Lord Wilhelm.